FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates in general to electrical connectors and in particular to a new and useful device for connecting cable wires to cutting and clamping contacts of dropwire connector banks of telecommunication systems.
From German patent DE-PS No. 35 22 131, a similar press-in tool is known. It comprises a shaft with a handle section having a actuating face on one end and guide and press-in pieces on the other end for `pressing-in` the cable wires into the cutting and clamping contacts of the dropwire connector bank. For dropwire cable wires having thick insulation jackets causing, thus, high press-in forces when pressing-in the dropwire cable wires into the cutting/clamping contacts of the dropwire connector bank, a pre-cutting device is arranged at the shaft of the press-in tool. This pre-cutting device comprises a U-shaped tool and two curved cutting knives disposed at the inner sides of its two side faces. Prior to being press-in into the cutting and clamping contacts, the dropwire cable wires are cut by means of the curved cutting knives at two opposed positions in the intended contacting area, and only after this cutting process, they are inserted into the respective cutting and clamping contacts of the dropwire connector bank. Pressing-in is achieved, then, by means of the press-in pieces being adapted to the shape of the cutting and clamping contact. When using the known press-in tool for dropwire cable wires, two operation steps are required, in order to reduce the high press-in forces. Furthermore, the known press-in tool is expensive in design and, thus, in manufacture.
The dropwire connector banks mentioned above are known from DE-GM No. 8l21 721. Hereby, the spacings of the clamping ribs are designed to meet the thick insulation jackets of the dropwire cables. Therefore, the clamping ribs cannot hold safely thin cable wires being pressed-in by means of the press-in tools into the cutting and clamping contacts of the dropwire connector bank. It has proven, thus, that the thin cable wires can be loosened from the cutting and clamping contacts of the dropwire connector bank due to vibrations acting on the dropwire connector banks, as the relatively thin insulation jacket of the thin cable wires are not held safely by the clamping ribs of the dropwire connector bank.